Playful Troels the Troll is built out of recycled wood pallets and scrap

A giant troll has popped up in the Danish city of Horsens—but don’t worry, he’s friendly. Upcycle artist Thomas Dambo designed the charming Troels the Troll, a 5-meter-tall (16.4 feet) interactive sculpture built from recycled wood pallets and scrap wood. The recycle sculpture was created for the city’s “Feel Horsens” campaign that seeks to revitalize Horsens through arts and play.

Named after Dambo’s assistant, Troels is, by the looks of it, a friendly giant encouraging of play as evidenced by the children’s swing it holds in its outstretched hand. The troll is almost entirely made of scrap wood—an engineered rafter was inserted in the sculpture to hold the swing—sourced from local businesses STARK and Aage Oestergaard. Trolls’ fabulous wind-blown hairstyle was made from wild grass and plants sourced from a local park and planted in urban gardening units designed by Tagtomat.

Troels gets his charm from Dambo’s careful attention to detail. The giant troll’s multifaceted face and cute protruding ears give the sculpture a lifelike appearance. Irregular pieces of scrap wood are attached to Troels’ body to mimic shaggy clothing. Dambo even cut out wooden toenails for Troels. To complete the large sculpture, Dambo enlisted help from three carpentry students of the local Learnmark craftsmanship school.